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Dolls for children—of course! But, there are also many adults who collect and enjoy Maplelea for a whole lot of different reasons. Here are just a few stories of Moms and Grandmas who cherish their very own Maplelea dolls.

Triplets Vickie, Emma and Maddie of Markham, ON all have Maplelea dolls, but they felt that their mom should have one too. So, they pooled their birthday money and bought one for her. She was thrilled! Now, all four of them enjoy playing school, having tea parties and taking the dolls on vacation.

Janet and Gemma B. of Toronto, ON are a mother/daughter duo who both chose Taryn as their dolls. Crafting for their dolls is one of their favourite things to do together.

Mom Shawna and her three girls all have Maplelea dolls in Enderby, BC. On the morning of the opening ceremonies for the 2014 Olympics they got up extra early, and everyone including their four Maplelea dolls, all donned their Canadian colours to cheer on team Canada as they proudly marched into the stadium. What a wonderful family memory to have for years to come!

A few years back, Katie A.’s mom, a Master Corporal in the Canadian Armed forces, was deployed for a tour of duty in Afghanistan as a Medical Technician. Before she left, her family gave her a Taryn doll, which she took with her. Over the six months apart, daughter Katie, along with Jenna and Alexi, kept in touch with her mom and Taryn through letters, emails and phone calls. The dolls always provided a cheerful conversation topic. During her off duty hours, Master Corporal Dina T. sewed, by hand, a complete military uniform for her Taryn. Soon, mom, daughter and all three Maplelea Girls were happily re-united in Pembroke, ON.

Four Maplelea Girls moved into Nana’s house in Peterborough, ON one Christmas and now her granddaughters are even more excited about visiting. Every summer she hosts “Nana Camp”—a week of fun, activities, and adventure for the four cousins, the four Maplelea Girls and Nana!

Mrs. Lee is a senior who is fascinated by Maplelea’s quality, Canadian stories and collectability. She avidly collects new dolls and outfits as they come out, just for her own enjoyment, and now her adult daughter has joined her in this hobby.

Grandchildren and their Maplelea dolls may live far away, but for many grandmothers, it does not stop them from sharing the fun. With their own dolls as fit samples, these grandmothers happily knit, sew and crochet, knowing that when the hand-crafted treasures arrive at their destination, they will fit perfectly on the intended doll.

Cathy and Joanne are two sisters from the Niagara region who started sewing for their granddaughters’ dolls, but have “been blessed with a large dose of Dolly Fever”. They are now collecting and playing for themselves. “Life goes on at a fast pace”, Joanne says, “and we seniors often find ourselves wondering how to keep our mind, hands and emotions engaged in an enjoyable past-time when family members are absent.” When meeting this lively duo, as they eagerly add to their doll collection, it is obvious just how much fun and enjoyment the dolls provide.

Maplelea has won an award from the Canadian safe boating council for promoting PFD wear and safe boating to Canada’s next generation of boaters.

Maplelea’s kayak and PFD accessory pack are more than just toys. CASB has recognized them as an effective way to engage children in safe boating practices.

Maplelea promotes fun and creative play. But, our mission is also to encourage girls to lead healthy, active lifestyles. Our dolls are designed to be positive role models. Hence, our characters always follow the same safety rules as real girls should follow—and that means, when you are in a boat, you wear a PFD or lifejacket!

The journal pages that accompany the Ride the Tide accessory pack (PFD and watershoes) and Charlsea’s kayak, both weave safe boating information in to the fun story being told. Wear a lifejacket, leave a trip plan with someone on shore, and be aware of weather conditions are just a few of the ideas presented in the journal pages.

Maplelea—more than just a toy!

Maplelea President, Kathryn Gallagher Morton accepts the CSBC’s Marine Industry award at their recent gala event in the image on the right.

Thank you to those who have generously supported Save the Children Canada and the families impacted by the fires in Fort McMurray through this initiative. This program has now ended, however if you are interested in donating directly to this cause, please visit https://savethechildren.ca.

Dear Maplelea Fans,

The devastating wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alberta and the generous response from Canadians who continue to donate their time and money to the relief effort has been truly overwhelming to witness. As the fires move east to Saskatchewan, the displacement of families continues and the rebuilding of infrastructure and lives has only just begun. For children, this time of upheaval and uncertainty is particularly challenging, and our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.

As a Canadian company dedicated to celebrating and empowering Canada’s children, Maplelea would like to do its part by donating 25% of all revenues received from sales of our Canadian-themed girl and doll clothing from May 20-26, 2016, to Save the Children Canada*. This trusted charitable organization has had a long history of providing funding and relief to children and families in Canadian communities and across the world. In addition to providing essential materials and supplies for families with babies and young children affected by the fires, Save the Children is operating several Child Friendly Spaces in Edmonton. These spaces provide a sense of normalcy and community, when everything familiar has been disrupted and potentially lost. You can learn more about their efforts in Alberta at www.savethechildren.ca.

From our Maplelea family to yours, we wish you a safe and happy Victoria Day weekend.

*Maplelea will donate 25% of all revenues received from sales of the following 4 items from May 20-26, 2016 to Save the Children Canada to support children affected by the Fort McMurray fire: Canada Day Shirt for Girls, Canada Day Outfit for Dolls, Strong and Free Hoodie for Girls (both red and white), and Strong and Free Outfit for Dolls. A tax receipt will not be provided for the purposes of tax deductions.

Maplelea Girl Charlsea, from Canada’s west coast, was inspired by the many letters and emails our office receives each week. Online research helped us to learn about the history and geography of the area, but it was the trip to Salt Spring Island when specific details about her experiences and character really came to life.

Whether a descendant of an original farming family, or a recently arrived escapee from hectic urban life elsewhere, everyone was eager to share their knowledge of the Island and its community. They told us about Salt Spring’s need for exceptionally high recycling rates, the wide-spread love of gardening, the frustrations of a life ruled by ferry schedules, and the mystery of fairy doors in the forest.

Maplelea families welcomed us into their homes, eager to tell us what it was like to be a girl growing up in the Gulf Islands of BC. A grade 4/5 class answered our many questions about everything from their favourite field trip to their footwear of choice. Teachers graciously stayed after school to continue the dialogue. And, a local historian and former teacher, an original Salt Spring back-to-the-lander herself, put the Island in context for us.

We experienced the spectacular view of the Gulf Islands from atop Mount Maxwell and the liveliness of the Saturday Market in Ganges, where even young Island entrepreneurs offered their hand-made goods. Events were attended – a house concert, a fall festival, a church fundraiser, a community forum on children and youth, and more. And how could we not stop at the ubiquitous unmanned farm stands that offered their fresh organic bounty with the trust that a deposit would be made in the moneybox for the produce taken.

After a ferry trip, we were on Gabriola Island to meet with a Maplelea family whose kayak trip inspired the one taken by Charlsea.

Laden with hundreds of photos and many pages of notes we returned to Ontario to collaborate with a writer, an illustrator and a sculptor to create the story journal and doll that would become Charlsea. Our in-house production team worked hard to design outfits and accessories to reflect her lifestyle.

We would like to thank all the girls, families and community members who so openly and kindly shared their stories and experiences, only a few of which are shown here. The information was extremely helpful in the creation of our Charlsea Woodhouse character.

Over two years of extensive research went into the creation of Saila, the Maplelea Girl who shares her Inuit heritage. In our quest to create a character who would be an accurate reflection of a 10 year old girl growing up in Iqaluit today, we sought out many sources of information.

We participated in the 10th anniversary celebration for the creation of the territory of Nunavut held in Ottawa, attended an Inuit Awareness seminar, consulted with numerous resource people, and read on-line and printed material extensively. Then, president Kathryn Gallagher Morton and her family travelled to Iqaluit where they spent ten days getting to know the city and its people. They sampled traditional country foods, participated in the Christmas Games, stayed in a local home, watched a stone carver at work, talked to craftspeople at a local craft show, attended a bilingual church service (English and Inuktitut), visited a school and other community facilities and agencies, toured the parliament buildings and chatted with a lot of very friendly people.

Kathryn sought out local Maplelea families and asked them for their ideas and suggestions for this new character. While attending the Christmas Games held at a local hall over several evenings, Kathryn had the opportunity to personally interview a number of girls who eagerly shared with her their stories of what it is like to be a young girl growing up in Nunavut today.

We commissioned our Canadian artist to sculpt the new doll and, based on the information we had gathered, created a wardrobe and accessories for her. The journal was written and illustrated and then translated into French and Inuktitut.

We sought out production facilities in Nunavut and were thrilled to contract with Uqqurmiut Centre for Arts and Crafts in Pangnirtung to produce a Pang hat for Saila, and also with Kiluk Ltd. in Arviat to produce an amauti for her.

We wanted Saila to be an interesting, authentic and positive role model, not just for girls of Inuit heritage living in Nunavut, but for all girls living in all parts of Canada. We think we have achieved that. We hope you agree.

We would like to thank all the girls, families and community members of Nunavut who so openly and kindly shared their stories and experiences, only a few of which are shown here. The information was extremely helpful in the creation of our Saila Qilavvaq character.

A great time was had by all at our 2014 Maplelea Meet-Up at Black Creek Pioneer Village! Thank you to our Maplelea fans who came out to join us. We enjoyed a Victorian tea, learned about pioneer dolls, played some fun games and enjoyed checking out all of the cool activity stations. Check out the photos and video of the day below!